Large Public Institutions Research Articles

Dual Reflections on Teaching and Learning of Autoethnography: Preparing Doctoral Students Authentically for a Career in the Academy

This paper conveys the reflections of an instructor and a graduate student after participating in a graduate course on autoethnography, offered in a college of education at a large public research institution in the United States. In addition to the course focus on autoethnography as a qualitative research approach, the course used authentic practices, which are commonly used by academics, to socialize doctoral students from the social sciences to the demands of their future careers in the academy. Although the number of published autoethnography articles in academic journals has increased, few autoethnography courses are being offered, and even fewer are described in the research literature. The authors share their experiences and address their own assumptions, challenges and breakthroughs across practices, including: informal peer-reviews, drafts revisions, and the ongoing composition of a full-length autoethnographic manuscript to be (potentially) submitted for publication, and, thus, shared with a larger audience of readers. The authors call for more explicit and authentic preparation and socialization of social science doctoral students throughout graduate coursework—especially in light of the growing competition for tenure-stream faculty positions across the social sciences and the humanities.

Chronic Psychosis and its Prevention

Here is a short history of chronic psychosis: at the turn of the last century there were large public institutions for tuberculosis, leprosy and chronic psychiatric illnesses, especially schizophrenia. After enough progress was made in infectious diseases, institutions for TB and leprosy became obsolete. When chlorpromazine was discovered in 1954 there was hope that deinstitutionalization would occur in psychiatry as well. This belief led to the Community Mental Health Act (passed by the U.S. Congress in 1963). However, as of today public institutions treating chronic psychoses remain standing. To put it simply, treatment of these conditions has not made enough progress as to warrant the abolition of hospitals for their long term treatment.

Mass Incarceration and the Theory of Punishment

An influential strain in the literature on state punishment analyzes the permissibility of punishment in exclusively deontological terms, whether in terms of an individual’s rights, the state’s obligation to vindicate the law, or both. I argue that we should reject a deontological theory of punishment because it cannot explain what is unjust about mass incarceration, although mass incarceration is widely considered—including by proponents of deontological theories—to be unjust. The failure of deontological theories suggests a minimum criterion of adequacy for a theory of punishment: it must take aggregation sufficiently seriously that it returns plausible results when scaled up from individual cases to large public institutions. In this vein, I briefly sketch a prioritarian metric for evaluating the use of custodial sanctions as a means of creating and allocating social advantage.

An Ontological Approach to the Hierarchical Adaptation of Workflows

Administrative workflows are very useful in large enterprises and public institutions but, in order to use them adequately in their different areas and departments, they must be adapted to the particular conditions of each one, complying with the general regulations of the process established at the top level. This problem, called Hierarchical Adaptation Problem, also implies establishing the proper measures to accomplish when the general regulation is changed. Such measures must maintain the consistency among the different levels by means of the propagation of the changes to all the adaptations. To solve this problem, this work presents the Hierarchical Adaptation Method. A method based on ontologies that defines the rules that must satisfy a generic workflow, specified in ontologies, to be considered adaptable to different application cases. It also establishes the rules that must satisfy the adaptations of the specification ontology. Morover, it provides the operations that facilitates both adaptation of administrative workflows and propagation of changes.

Out in the Classroom: Transgender Student Experiences at a Large Public University

Faculty and peer interactions are 2 of the most important relationships for college students to foster (Astin, 1993). Transgender college students have an increasing visible presence on college campuses (Pusch, 2005), yet limited research exists on their experiences and struggles in the classroom environment (Garvey & Rankin, 2015; Renn, 2010). This study sought to understand the experiences of transgender students in the context of the college classroom and their perceptions of faculty and peer support. The experiences of 5 transgender students from a large Midwest public institution are illustrated by 4 themes that emerged: coming out, instructor interaction, peer (non)support in the classroom, and campus and course context impact college environment. Overall, participants’ experiences varied, but all reported incidents of marginalization from instructors and peers. This study provides a necessary voice to the lived experiences of transgender college students within the context of the university classroom.

Walking the Razor’s Edge: Risks and Rewards for Students and Faculty adopting Case in Point Teaching and Learning Approaches

Case in Point (CIP) is an interactive leadership development method pioneered by Ronald Heifetz. CIP instructors follow a fluid class structure, in which group dynamics and student concerns become catalysts for learning. CIP proponents defend the method’s potential to help students experience real life leadership challenges. To date, however, very limited research exists on the effectiveness and risks of the CIP. This case study research explored the risks and rewards of CIP as experienced by a professor and her students in two courses. The first case was a graduate course at a liberal arts college. The second case was an undergraduate course at a large public institution. Results revealed considerable variability in student experiences. Students in the graduate course were divided. While some strongly supported the instructor and the CIP method, others felt alienated and lost. Students in the undergraduate course clearly enjoyed the experience, dealing well with uncertainties and frustrations and forging strong bonds among each other and with the professor. CIP instructors, therefore, may need to manage an uneven environment. Risks include student frustration, increased conflict, and instructor exhaustion. Rewards include helping students experience leadership challenges and creating a close to real life environment. Instructors are urged to consider the ethical implications of CIP and to seek university and peer support.

Structure and Organisational Behaviour of Public Research Institutions Under Unstable Growth of Human Resources

The study here analyses the structure and organisational behaviour of research organisations in the presence of shrinking budgets. A vital case study of large public research institution in Italy is investigated since it has a similar structure to other European research bodies. Empirical analysis shows negative rates of growth of human resources which are due to austerity programmes of governments to reduce public debt. Results support a pessimistic scenario for this public research body that might downsize the personnel of about 50% in the year 2024 or thereabouts, causing negative effects on performances of the national system of innovation. The method and findings provide vital information to policymakers for understanding the strategic change of public research institutions during environmental turbulence. Fruitful R&D management implications of human resources conclude the paper.

Research Portfolio Analysis in Science Policy: Moving from Financial Returns to Societal Benefits

Funding agencies and large public scientific institutions are increasingly using the term “research portfolio” as a means of characterizing their research. While portfolios have long been used as a heuristic for managing corporate RD ii) examine the relationships between research options of a portfolio and the expected societal outcomes; and iii) adopt a systemic perspective to research portfolios – i.e. examine a portfolio as a functional whole, rather than as the sum of its parts. We argue that with these considerations, portfolio-driven approaches may foster social inclusion in science policy decisions, help deliberation between “alternative” portfolios to tackle complex societal challenges, as well as promote cost-effectiveness and transparency.

US Internationalization Faces the Recession

U.S. higher education has been hard hit by the recession, and internationalization is no exception. This article focuses on campus responses to budgetary constraints among large public institutions, including staff reductions, intensified recruitment of international students, and expectations that senior internationalization officers (SIOs) will balance their budgets through income-generating activities. It also notes the apparent strengthening of the role of the SIO and concludes that commitment to internationalization seems to be holding up in face of hard times.

The Impact of Friendship on the Leadership Identity Development of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Students

This qualitative study explores the past experiences of six post-secondary students who self-identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Queer (LGBQ) and held leadership roles in student organizations at one large public institution. The purpose of this exploration was to better understand the impact of friendship on the development of a leadership identity. Utilizing Komives et al.’s (2005) Leadership Identity Development (LID) model as a framework, data were obtained from a series of three in-depth interviews with each participant and analyzed through a grounded theory approach. The significance of friendship was noted across all stages of the LID model. Based upon my findings and the suggestions put forth by the participants, a number of recommendations are made for higher education research and practice.

The Chief Diversity Officer: An examination of CDO models and strategies.

The Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) position has emerged as an executive-level role that provides strategic guidance for diversity planning and implementation efforts. The growing number of CDO appointments has raised the expectations regarding the contributions of this officer. Williams and Wade-Golden (2007) identified three CDO models or archetypes of vertical authority (i.e., collaborative officer, unit-based, and portfolio divisional) that serve as templates for colleges and universities to design the CDO role. In higher education, these models range from simple one-person office configurations to more developed multiunit reporting structures. Drawing upon this structural framework, the researcher conducted a qualitative examination of three CDOs representing each of the three organizational models. Using a multisite case study methodology, the researcher interviewed three CDOs and 25 administrators working in three large public research institutions in the Midwest region of the United States. This study explored two central questions: (a) What strategies are used by each CDO to develop, manage, and maximize diversity resources? and (b) Can the CDO configuration facilitate or constrain the work of the CDO? This study's findings reveal that all CDOs included in this study were engaged with a number of tasks to fulfill their role. However, their configuration does impact how these diversity leaders carry out their work. This article highlights the collaborative nature of the CDO position and key considerations when comparing and contrasting CDO models at large institutions.

Research Portfolios in Science Policy: Moving from Financial Returns to Societal Benefits

Funding agencies and large public scientific institutions are increasingly using the term “research portfolio” as a means of characterising their research. While portfolios have long been used as a heuristic for managing corporate RD ii) examine the relationships between research options of a portfolio and the expected societal outcomes; and iii) adopt a systemic perspective to research portfolios – i.e., examine a portfolio as a functional whole, rather than as the sum of the its parts. We argue that with these considerations, portfolio-driven approaches may foster social inclusion in science policy decisions, help deliberation between “alternative” portfolios to tackle complex societal challenges, as well as promote cost-effectiveness and transparency.

Structure and organisational behaviour of public research institutions under unstable growth of human resources

The study here analyses the structure and organisational behaviour of research organisations in the presence of shrinking budgets. A vital case study of large public research institution in Italy is investigated since it has a similar structure to other European research bodies. Empirical analysis shows negative rates of growth of human resources which are due to austerity programmes of governments to reduce public debt. Results support a pessimistic scenario for this public research body that might downsize the personnel of about 50% in the year 2024 or thereabouts, causing negative effects on performances of the national system of innovation. The method and findings provide vital information to policymakers for understanding the strategic change of public research institutions during environmental turbulence. Fruitful R&D management implications of human resources conclude the paper.

Faculty Beliefs of Entrepreneurship and Design Education: An Exploratory Study Comparing Entrepreneurship and Design Faculty

Engineering capstone and certain entrepreneurship courses have some similarities in terms of student outcomes, course structure, and instructional methods. Both types of courses have the tendency to be less structured than traditional courses and utilize teaching methods such as problem-based or project-based learning. The goals relating to the professional skill set are often similar and can include communication, writing, business, and team skills. Entrepreneurship instructors often focus on the development of the while instructors focus on the development of design thinking, characteristics that have some similarities. The role of the teacher in both areas is less likely to be a lecturer, but rather as a coach or a guide that assists students in completing a longer-term project. Many capstone courses have an industry component and can even have an entrepreneurial component. The purpose of this paper is to compare the teaching beliefs and practices of instructors of capstone courses and entrepreneurship courses. The following research questions will be used to compare the beliefs of capstone versus entrepreneurship instructors: 1. What are the teaching practices of senior versus entrepreneurship instructors? 2. How do instructors feel that entrepreneurship should be taught at the university to engineering students? 3. Do faculty members believe that the entrepreneurial mindset is something that can be developed or is it innate? A total of 37 instructors of capstone courses and engineering entrepreneurship courses at three large public institutions were invited to participate in an online survey. The preliminary results show some interesting similarities and differences between the two groups of instructors. Both groups reported using similar teaching practices, with student-led presentations, mentoring and coaching students, use of personal experiences, and guest speakers as the most frequently used techniques in their courses. Regarding the nature of the entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurship educators were more likely to believe that the necessary characteristics to be an entrepreneur are mostly developed; capstone instructors were more likely to feel these characteristics were innate. While this may not be surprising given the fact that entrepreneurship instructors are teaching students the necessary skills to become entrepreneurs, this finding can have implications for other faculty when advising students on which courses or minors to explore.

A public hospital experience with young gastric cancer patients.

30 Background: Recent literature has reported an increased incidence in the United States of node positive and metastatic disease in young patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of age (≤40 years) on patients with gastric adenocarcinoma at a large urban public institution. Methods: A total of 520 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma treated between 1995 and 2012 were identified. Information was gathered from the medical record including age at presentation, stage at presentation, pathological type of GC, treatment received, and mortality data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparisons were made using the log-rank test. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 56 years. 64 patients (12%) were identified as ≤40 years old. 57 of 64 (89%) of the young age group presented with stage III or IV disease, compared with 75% of patients >40 years of age (p=0.014). For patients ≤40 years old, 38% underwent an operation with curative intent, which was comparable to 39% in patients >40 years old. Of patients who underwent surgery, only 33% (10 of 30) ≤40 years old received an R0 resection compared to 110 of 184 (60%) in those >40 years old (p=0.007). The overall median survival was 5 months with one-year survival of 24% for the young patients and a median of 7.8 months with 39% one-year survival for the older patients (p=0.016). Conclusions: There is a decreased awareness and therefore suspicion of the diagnosis of gastric cancer in young patients (≤40 years of age). For this reason, young patients with gastric adenocarcinoma may present with more advanced disease than older patients. Surgical exploration was often futile, and survival was especially poor in young patients likely due to the more advanced nature of their disease at diagnosis.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Goals at Public Institutions: The Case of a Land-Grant University

Aims: We apply several theories to the problem of greenhouse gas emission and energy consumption reduction goals at large public institutions. We discuss the history of the movement for reduced greenhouse gasemissions at universities and introduce a case university. We test our case universitys energy consumption for evidence of reductions. Methodology: We develop two base OLS model for on-campus energy consumption. We build time series elements into the mode ls to test for statistically significant reductions in monthly energy consumption. Results:We do not find evidence for reduced energy consumption at the case university over the twelve year time period (n=146). Conclusion: Several theoretical problems make reducing energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions at large public institutions particularly challenging. The case university we analyzed has failed to make meaningful energy consumption reductions despite setting ambitious goals.

Analysis of Software Development and Enhancement Projects Work Effort per Unit Based on the COSMIC Method with Regard to Technological Factors—Case Study

This paper aims to present a case study that consists in the analysis of work effort per unit of software systems Development and Enhancement Projects (D&EP) depending on technological factors. That analysis was commissioned by one of the largest public institutions in Poland. This is the COSMIC (Common Software Measurement International Consortium) function points method that is chosen by this institution as a point of reference for size of software systems developed/enhanced for supporting its functions and therefore this method is the base for the analysis of D&EP work effort per unit with regard to technological factors.

Constrained? An Analysis of U.S. Academic Library Shifts in Spending, Staffing, and Utilization, 1998–2008

The study provides an analysis of U.S. academic library spending, staffing and utilization trends from data collected during the period between 1998 and 2008. Data used in this study are part of the NCES biennial survey of approximately 3,700 degree-granting postsecondary institutions. Confirming previous studies, there has been an order of magnitude change in the expenditure of e-books and e-serials; but, contrary to the view of being fiscally restrained, libraries have received investments and increases of approximately 12 percent above inflation over the period with significant increases in nearly every area of library operation. Library staffing is being diversified, while use of physical library assets are in decline for every metric in the study—gate count, reference service, general and reserve circulation. Academic libraries cannot be treated as a homogenous group of institutions, and the study analyzes shifts by type, size, and Carnegie class of institution, illustrating significant difference among these classes of academic libraries, particularly among large doctoral institutions and other academic libraries, with large public and doctoral private institutions driving growth, while small and medium-sized academic libraries have fallen behind in both collections and staff investments.

Educating for Democracy: Reflections From a Work in Progress

Why are Americans, and young Americans in particular, so turned off to government and politics? And, what can be done to arrest these trends? In this article, I suggest that three primary, and mutually reinforcing, trends, which can be summed up as the “relevance factor,” the “negativity factor,” and the “triumphant market factor,” have conspired to preempt any interest in government and politics on the part of young people. Consequently, these young people do not develop the skills and knowledge that democratic participation requires nor do they see a need to do so. As educators, however, we have a unique opportunity to address these barriers and, thus, to help repair a key aspect of our democratic fabric—the willingness and ability of citizens to participate in the well-being of the society and its political institutions and processes. This article presents a case study of such an effort at Temple University, a large public institution with a diverse student body located in the heart of Philadelphia.

Graying, greening and fragmentation in the rapidly expanding Indian city of Bangalore

Urbanization in Asia exhibits some distinctive patterns of change that are not observed in other Western countries. The south Indian city of Bangalore is India's second fastest growing city, and has witnessed the large scale destruction of vegetation in recent years for urban development. This research uses satellite imagery to study changes in vegetation cover in Bangalore between 2000 and 2007. We find anomalous patterns of vegetation change. The core is relatively well protected due to high land prices and the presence of large public institutions due to its historical pattern of development as a military station, but is undergoing fragmentation. Peripheral areas are undergoing rapid urbanization, vegetation clearing and fragmentation. Although greening is taking place in the landscape surrounding the city limits, this appears to be short term, largely consists of fast growing water hungry exotic species, and presages further rapid and large scale development as the city expands even further. The findings presented here have important implications for policy and planning at the local, city and regional level. These suggest that an especial emphasis needs to be made on understanding the role and importance of vegetation in rapidly expanding cities, to achieve a healthy urban environment.